Time is a construct — and Lebanon is learning that firsthand: Remember how Egypt was grumpy about changing the clocks four times in one year? Lebanon just changed its clocks twice in two days, after Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati decided today to reverse a decision to postpone daylight savings until the end of Ramadan. Mikati’s initial decision to postpone daylight savings had already sparked controversy — and chaos — in the Mediterranean country when he announced it yesterday, Bloomberg reports. While some institutions and entities had enforced the decision and held off on changing the clocks yesterday, others refused to comply and moved their clocks forward on the last Sunday of March as is traditionally done.

Why, though? While the reason was not mentioned explicitly, a leaked video of Mikati and parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri shows that the point was to simply get those observing the holy month to break their fast an hour earlier. The conversation has led to quips about “Christian time” and “Muslim time” — a joke that has been made all the more ironic due to the country’s history of sectarian conflict.

It may seem like a benign decision, but it’s been nothing short of pandemonium as the repercussions of a 60 minute lag have caused inconvenience. Think double bookings, shattered schedules, and the inability to simply tell the time. Commuters have found themselves in the impossible situation of being in two different time zones while running daily errands.

Cranky? It’s probably more closely tied to how your stomach is doing than you realize because of the gut-brain axis: Our gut microbes, or the bacteria living in our intestines and stomach, predate our existence and outnumber our own human cells inside our bodies, according to the BBC. This “axis” cited in a study on the advances on gut microbiome and mental health, stipulates a causality between the condition of our stomach and how it affects our body and brain. Having bad gut microbes can cause anxiety, depression, and stimulate a drop in our immunity. It even goes further to suggest that there is a relationship between neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia through its testing on laboratory mice. Contributors to poor gut health are not just poor diets — in fact, antibiotics, consumed without medical advice or over long periods of time will affect the “culture” of your gut bacteria and make you more susceptible to the above, and also, a little slow, as per this contemporary study on hospital nurses who performed badly on cognitive tests after consuming antibiotics over a 2-month period.

Got pickles? The good news is that we do have some control on improving our gut bacteria, and it isn’t too hard. The answer is: Fermented vegetables, fiber, yogurt (preferably with probiotics) and some activity that makes us relax: Walking, yoga, kick-boxing, or any other physical activity you enjoy. Consuming the above, and cutting down on the use of antibiotics, will improve your gut health and is more likely to influence your mental health, as well.

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